


Void

by sugarblossom



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Anime)
Genre: Fluff, Gen, Mild Hurt/Comfort, mild fluff?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-16
Updated: 2020-05-16
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:21:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,376
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24214360
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sugarblossom/pseuds/sugarblossom
Summary: Ash had been out on his journey for a while, huh? Thank Arceus he's still here to visit!
Relationships: Burnet-hakase | Professor Burnet & Satoshi | Ash Ketchum, Kukui-hakase | Professor Kukui & Satoshi | Ash Ketchum, Satoshi | Ash Ketchum & Satoshi no Pikachu | Ash Ketchum's Pikachu
Comments: 13
Kudos: 68





	Void

Kukui took his glasses off, holding them up to the light streaming through the windows. The color of the frames blended into the dark blue sky as he cleaned them. 

Burnet was cooking dinner in a lovely purple sweatshirt that matched her necklace, softly humming a song from Unova.

There was a knock on the front door. 

Kukui and Burnet exchanged a confused look. Ambling to the door, Kukui murmured, “It’s so late, who could it be?” He opened the door, a yellow blur zooming into the house.

“Ah, Pikachu!” 

Kukui and Burnet froze. They knew that voice from any when and where. “ _Ash_?” 

Ash grinned, waving from the door before glancing at Pikachu. “Pikachu, what did I tell you?” Pikachu pouted from Kukui and Burnet’s sofa, rolling so he didn't look at him. 

Ash sighed. His normally tanned face was pale. It contrasted against his black t-shirt, which had a Dragapult on the front.

“Uh, come in, Ash,” Kukui numbly said, stepping to the side. Ash gracefully slid into the house, sitting next to Pikachu, eyes blank with nostalgia. “We didn’t expect you to be coming back so late!”

“I’m so glad you’re back here safe!” Burnet quickly finished cooking, running over with a few malasadas, her necklace bouncing up and down. “Ash, we couldn’t find you anywhere!” Pikachu glanced off.

Ash nodded with a small chuckle, flicking at his red cap. 

“How are you?”

_“We’re good,” Burnet said, slightly squatting to meet the boy’s eyes. “What about you? Are you lost?”_

_The bright morning sun glimmered in Ash’s wide amber eyes. He tilted his head. “I don’t know. I just ended up here.” Burnet and Kukui exchanged a glance._

_“Where are your parents?”_

_Ash furrowed his eyebrows, falling silent. His stomach growled._

_Kukui took out a malasada from his bag. “Kid, we may not know who you are or when you came here,” he started._

_“Or where you’re from or how you got here,” Burnet continued._

_“But you’ve got a lot of potential! We’d be happy to help!” they both said, gesturing over their house in the distance._

_Kukui held out the malasada to Ash._

Ash shook his head. “Oh, I appreciate it, but I don’t really want this now.” Burnet stiffened, slowly lowering the malasada and plate.

Kukui stared at Pikachu. “When did you meet this little dude?”

“Right after I started my journey!”

“Oh, where?” Burnet curiously asked, pinching Pikachu’s cheeks and eliciting a surprised yelp from him.

Ash chuckled, shutting his eyes. “Kanto, actually!”

“Whoa, you traveled that far?”

Kukui continued, “And in such little time too!”

Opening his eyes once more, Ash leaned back against the sofa. Was he so light that he didn’t even sink down in his seat?

Pikachu scooted over next to Ash, meeting his empty eyes with silence.

“You’ve traveled for a long time, haven’t you?” Kukui murmured.

Burnet nodded, gesturing up to the loft. “You look so tired from traveling everywhere, you can use that loft again! Go get a good night’s sleep!” Ash’s grin froze. Clean, soft sheets, fluffy pillows...

Even though his hair was pitch black, Ash’s skin was practically translucent under the bright setting sun. 

“Oh, thank you, but I don’t need it.”

Burnet and Kukui exchanged a worried glance, and Pikachu glanced off once more. “That’s not right! The Ash we knew loved to eat and sleep!” Burnet said.

Ash’s red and yellow shoes shifted as he stood. 

His grin wavered for a moment. “I… I can’t.”

_“Yes you can!” Burnet and Kukui both encouraged._

_Ash was lying on the loft bed, sighing. “I’ve been trying so hard, but it just doesn’t work! It’s like I'm not supposed to get good grades!”_

_After a pause, the two parents both hugged Ash._

_“We know you’ve been working all day and night on this,” Kukui mumbled._

_“And we’re very proud of you, Ash,” Burnet whispered._

_Ash stared down to the second level._

_He could stand up. He could take the step. He could take the leap._

_But…_

_“I won’t stay, that’s for sure,” Ash said. “But… for now, I’m not going anywhere.”_

_Kukui and Burnet nodded, satisfied. They backed off, preparing to make lunch. Ash reached over to a fresh bouquet of flowers, flicking the petals._

_Did they interpret it as Burnet’s ability instead of Kukui’s? Well, they were wrong._

_Ash stared upwards. “Change my destiny, no matter what. That’s my goal.”_

Kukui and Burnet both gasped.

“Ash, you didn’t,” Kukui whispered. Pikachu nodded, gently tapping the plate of malasadas and the candle lit next to it. Ash couldn’t smell all the wonderful things in the house, could he?

Burnet, after watching Ash shrug, cried, “But why?”

“You were going to be a teacher!”

Ash exchanged a glance with Pikachu. “In a way, I didn’t change my destiny at all.” There was a sorrowful undertone to his voice. “I met up with Pikachu. I accompanied him through all the regions. I taught him everything I knew.” Ash laughed a little, and Pikachu dipped his head. “I wanted to escape, but in the end, I still had to deal with it.”

“Please don’t leave us.”

_Ash furrowed his eyebrows before grinning. “Don’t worry about me! I’ll find out where I need to be!”_

_Kukui and Burnet finally nodded, their eyes filling with tears. “We’ll miss you, Ash.”_

_Burnet continued, giving Ash a warm hug. “We’ll see you across the world.” She handed Ash a bag of malasadas. “This is for dinner!”_

_“...Thank you.”_

_After Burnet stepped back, Kukui gave Ash a tight hug and pecked his forehead. “We’re proud of you, Ash. See you later, kiddo.”_

_Ash watched them walk away, a hand reached towards the two parents. They didn’t come back. Ash stared down at the flowers growing out of the sidewalk cracks._

_“...This is it, huh?”_

Ash took his cap off. He placed it on the table. It poofed into smoke.

Pikachu reached his hand out to Ash. Ash simply phased through him. Kukui and Burnet both stared at Ash.

“You know, there was probably a different way,” Ash murmured, his words like a faint wind. “Me getting stuck in time and scattered across space didn’t solve a single thing.” Pikachu bit his lower lip, crossing his arms. 

Kukui took off his glasses, blue and swirling with green tendrils. Burnet took off her necklace, the gem purple and glimmering blue.

“Can we-”

“No.” The three of them glanced at Pikachu. “Ash doesn’t need it.”

Ash floated in front of Burnet and Kukui, shoving his hands into his pant pockets. They were grey like Burnet’s, with gold rings glowing against the starry night. “Thank you for the life you gave me. I might have regretted this, but you can’t fix me. That was my job.” He smiled, eyes filled with sorrow. “It’s over and done with. I only recently came to terms with it all… It wasn’t your fault, alright?” 

Burnet and Kukui stayed silent. 

Ash nodded to Pikachu before grinning. “And I wanted to make sure you two will as well.”

“You’ll never get to love-” Burnet started.

“We really can’t do anything else for you?” Kukui asked, sitting next to Pikachu, hands trembling. Ash shook his head, his grin softening into a genuine smile.

Burnet reached for Ash, biting her lip when Ash stepped towards the door. Pikachu sighed, running a hand across his face. Kukui hugged the boy.

So… They were never going to watch TV and movies together again, laughing at every little joke and sharing cookies fresh out of the oven. They were never going to drink hot cocoa with warm socks while the rain pitter-patters on the roof ever again. They were never going to listen to soft music together or read him bedtime stories ever again. They were never going to go stargazing in comforting silence or watch the sun rise and set ever again. They were never going to walk barefoot on the beach and smell the sea together. Ever Again.

They were never going to be a family.

Ever.

Again.

...Were they ever?

“You shouldn't be too kind to the dead. After all…” Ash glanced back at them with a grin one final time. “We no longer have futures.” He dissipated into the night.

**Author's Note:**

> If you know where that ending dialogue is from, then congrats, you know where this fic idea originated. Someone recommended it to me a month ago, and I love it a lot!  
> How’s everyone? Hope you’re all doing alright! Stay safe and healthy! <3


End file.
